OECD DAC NETWORK ON GENDER EQUALITY (GENDERNET) • SEPTEMBER 2016
Definition and minimum standards for
the DAC gender equality policy marker
What is the DAC gender equality policy marker?
T
he OECD tracks aid in support of gender equality and women’s rights using the OECD-DAC gender equality policy marker –
a statistical tool to record aid activities that target gender equality as a policy objective. As part of the annual reporting of their
aid to the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), DAC members are required to indicate for each project/programme
whether it targets gender equality as a policy objective according to a three-point scoring system. Projects/programmes marked
as significant and principal (score 1 and 2) are counted as gender equality focused aid by the DAC.
NOT TARGETED (SCORE 0):
SIGNIFICANT (SCORE 1):
PRINCIPAL (SCORE 2):
The project/programme has been screened against the marker but has not been found to target
gender equality.
Gender equality is an important and deliberate objective, but not the principal reason for
undertaking the project/programme.
Gender equality is the main objective of the project/programme and is fundamental in its design
and expected results. The project/programme would not have been undertaken without this
gender equality objective.
A gender analysis1 and a ‘do no harm’ approach2 is mandatory for all aid activities to ensure at minimum that the project/
programme does not perpetuate or exacerbate gender inequalities.
DAC members should monitor and report on the gender equality results achieved by projects/programmes marked significant
and principal (score 1 and 2) in the evaluation phase. Reporting on gender equality results is essential to measure and improve
performance.
A principal score is not by definition better than a significant score. The DAC recommends that donors adopt a twin-track
approach to gender equality across their development co-operation portfolio, combining dedicated/targeted interventions (usually
score 2) with gender mainstreaming (usually score 1).
What is the marker intended to do?
The DAC gender equality policy marker is a key monitoring and accountability tool in the context of 2030 Agenda. It is the only
common tool available to DAC members to track bilateral aid in support of the implementation of the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) commitments on gender equality. It can contribute to identifying gaps between policy and financial commitments,
and incentivise efforts to close them.
The data generated by the marker provides a global estimate of DAC members’ aid in support of gender equality rather than
an exact quantification. The total amounts of projects/programmes
marked 1 and 2 by DAC donors are counted as gender equality
focused aid.
Since 2007, the data has been publicly available on the DAC
website3 and the OECD produces an annual summary of aid to
gender equality and women’s rights by DAC member. The data is
used to track changes over time and inform decisions on funding
allocations.
1. A gender analysis highlights the differences between and among women and men, girls and boys in terms of their relative distribution of resources, opportunities, constraints
and power in a given context.
2. A ‘do no harm’ approach to gender equality requires that projects/programmes conduct an analysis of the potential risks of unintentionally perpetuating or reinforcing gender
inequalities in the context of the intervention, proactively monitor risks, and take corrective/compensatory measures if applicable.
3. http://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/aidinsupportofgenderequalityandwomensempowerment.htm
OECD DAC NETWORK ON GENDER EQUALITY (GENDERNET)
Definition and Minimum Standards for the DAC Gender Equality Policy Marker
How does the scoring system work and what are the minimum standards?
In order to ensure the comparability of the data reported by DAC members, it is important that projects meet a set of minimum
standards that are common to all DAC donors. The DAC recommends the following minimum requirements for aid activities to
qualify for a 0, 1 or 2 score:
NOT TARGETED
(SCORE 0):
Definition: The project/programme has been screened against the marker but has not been found to target gender
equality.
This score cannot be used as a default value. Projects/programmes that have not been screened should be left unmarked
– i.e. the field should be left empty.4 This ensures that there is no confusion between activities that do not target gender
equality (score 0) and activities for which the answer is not known (empty field).
It is mandatory that a gender analysis is conducted for all projects/programmes. Findings from this gender analysis should
be used to ensure at minimum that the project/programme does no harm and does not reinforce gender inequalities.
SIGNIFICANT
(SCORE 1):
Definition: Gender equality is an important and deliberate objective, but not the principal reason for undertaking the
project/programme.
The gender equality objective must be explicit in the project/programme documentation and cannot be implicit or assumed.
The project/programme, in addition to other objectives, is designed to have a positive impact on advancing gender equality
and/or the empowerment of women and girls, reducing gender discrimination or inequalities, or meeting gender-specific
needs.
Minimum requirements (must be met in full)
A gender analysis of the project/programme has been conducted.
Findings from this gender analysis have informed the design of the project/programme and the
intervention adopts a ‘do no harm’ approach.
a
a
Presence of at least one explicit gender equality objective backed by at least one gender-specific
indicator5 (or a firm commitment to do this if the results framework has not been elaborated at the time of
marking the project).
a
Data and indicators are disaggregated by sex where applicable.
a
a
Commitment to monitor and report on the gender equality results achieved by the project in the
evaluation phase.
PRINCIPAL
(SCORE 2):
Yes
Definition: Gender equality is the main objective of the project/programme and is fundamental in its design and expected
results. The project/programme would not have been undertaken without this gender equality objective.
The project/programme is designed with the principal intention of advancing gender equality and/or the empowerment of
women and girls, reducing gender discrimination or inequalities, or meeting gender-specific needs.
Minimum requirements (must be met in full)
A gender analysis of the project/programme has been conducted.
Findings from this gender analysis have informed the design of the project/programme and the
intervention adopts a ‘do no harm’ approach.
Yes
a
a
The top-level ambition of the project/programme is to advance gender equality and/or women’s
empowerment.
a
The results framework measures progress towards the project/programme’s gender equality objectives
through gender-specific indicators to track outcomes/impact.
a
Data and indicators are disaggregated by sex where applicable.
a
a
Commitment to monitor and report on the gender equality results achieved by the project in the
evaluation phase.
4. DAC members should ensure that their internal reporting system clearly differentiates between the values ‘not screened’ (blank) and ‘not targeted’ (0).
5. The indicator should be defined in “SMART” terms (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound).
OECD DAC NETWORK ON GENDER EQUALITY (GENDERNET)
Definition and Minimum Standards for the DAC Gender Equality Policy Marker
Examples of scoring
Examples of projects/programmes that can be marked as “not targeted” (score 0):
• A basic education and literacy project designed to benefit boys and girls but with no specific objectives or activities that aim
specifically to address gender-specific barriers to education.
• S cholarships and imputed student costs where half of the beneficiaries are girls/women but which are not specifically targeted
at supporting girls/women’s enrolment in education.
• A railway project for which a gender analysis has been conducted, but where gender equality is not a deliberate objective and
which does not include specific activities designed to reduce gender-based inequalities (e.g. in access to services, markets,
risks, benefits and opportunities) or empower women (e.g. through gender quotas in hiring for construction work, street lighting
and walkways that make transport safer for women).
• A project to construct a sports facility for local youth that includes building toilets for boys and girls in separated areas but does
not include specific measures to ensure women and girls’ involvement in sports activities such as gender trainings for coaches,
appropriate scheduling of activities (e.g. before dusk), or awareness raising activities to combat stereotypes.
• A project aimed at supporting local farmers’ access to micro-credit to purchase agricultural inputs such as pesticides or
fertilisers, which does not address gender biases in access to and control over productive inputs and/or include specific
measures to target women farmers.
• A project to prevent alcohol abuse and alcoholism among disadvantaged men through the setting up of support groups and
counselling, which might have as an unintended side-effect a reduction in the frequency and severity of intimate partner
violence.
Examples of projects/programmes that can be marked as “significant” (score 1):
• A basic education and literacy project designed to benefit boys and girls but with a specific objective and activities that
address the gender-specific barriers to girls’ education, for example through the provision of financial incentives to encourage
disadvantaged families to allow girls to attend school.
• A project aimed at providing drinking water to a district or community, which has specific objectives and activities to ensure that
women and girls have safe and easy access to the facilities.
• A project designed to respond to adolescent’s sexual and reproductive health needs and rights by setting up a clinic where they
can access information, HIV testing and prevention services, family planning advice, and which includes differential services for
girls and boys.
• A project focusing on decentralisation and local governance processes aimed at building the capacity of local governments for
improved planning and financial management, but which also defines specific objectives to strengthen women’s participation in
decision-making at municipal level and ensure gender-responsive services, for example through gender-budgeting initiatives.
• A n infrastructure project for the construction of a new metro line which seeks to improve the utilisation of the transport system
by women by taking into account their safety needs through providing secure street lighting around stations, and includes
specific shop-spaces for female-owned businesses in the stations.
Examples of projects/programmes that can be marked as “principal” (score 2):
• A project that focuses specifically on girls’ access to and performance in education and/or vocational training, with the main
objective of empowering women and girls and reducing inequalities between boys and girls.
• A project designed principally to prevent and/or respond to gender-based violence in conflict.
• A social protection project set up with the primary purpose of assisting women and girls as a particularly disadvantaged group
in society.
• A project to educate and mobilise men and boys to become advocates against gender-based violence in their community.
• A capacity-building project to support a national ministry of finance to incorporate gender equality in its national development
strategy.
• A project to strengthen women’s voice and participation in government at local, regional and/or national level.
OECD DAC NETWORK ON GENDER EQUALITY (GENDERNET)
Definition and Minimum Standards for the DAC Gender Equality Policy Marker
Other related publications:
OECD (2016), Handbook on the OECD-DAC Gender Equality Policy Marker.
OECD (2016), Aid in Support of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment - Donor Charts.
Visit the GENDERNET website for:
• More information about the gender equality policy marker
• Access to gender-related aid data
• Updates about our activities
• Flyers and publications
http://www.oecd.org/dac/gender-development
OECD DAC NETWORK ON GENDER EQUALITY (GENDERNET)
Definition and Minimum Standards for the DAC Gender Equality Policy Marker